especially what hadn’t been spoken out loud.
“You’re good with the room?” Tuck asked, deliberately putting it out there. And yeah, he knew it was cruel this time. Regret sank her teeth in right away, and for more than one reason.
Hannah glanced from Tuck to Cade and back again, frowning the smallest bit. “Is everything all right?”
“What, with us?” Tuck spoke too loudly, and he knew it.
Cade stepped in to play salvage worker. “We’re just tired, Hannah. And hungry.”
Tuck butted in, trying to help, more relieved than he could say at Cade’s taking the initiative. “Go snatch some dinner for us before it’s all gone. And before I turn you over my knee for being a brat. Brat.”
“You never would.” Hannah poked him, then kissed him on the cheek. She reached over his to squeeze Cade’s shoulder. “I’ll do my best, but you’d still better hurry.”
“Be there in a sec.” Tuck’s stomach knotted and unknotted and knotted again as he watched her leave. Maybe she hadn’t noticed. He and Cade had bitched at each other back in the day. Every now and then. Rarely.
Still. They’d always made it up. She wouldn’t think the worst now. It was believe that or give up, and Tuck? No way he’d quit after coming this far.
Only…
As soon as Tuck judged Hannah to be out of earshot, he stopped three steps above Cade, watching him carefully. “I’m going to ask you something, and you need to answer me.”
Cade stood as still as a statue, but that didn’t reach all the way to his eyes. He inclined his head.
“One bed,” Tuck said. “Was it just for the girls, saying so, or are you really okay with that?”
Cade didn’t say anything, not at first. But he touched his lips, still slightly red from being kissed. He swallowed hard enough for Tuck to see the jerk of his throat. “I don’t know.”
He meant it. Even if he did turn fast and thump down the stairs in too much of a hurry for the narrow treads, that’d been the truth.
Tuck stayed behind, his head busy. That, what’d just happened, that was…enough to make a man wonder.
Enough to make him hope.
He’d started to doubt, hadn’t he? Thomas throwing him for a loop sure hadn’t helped.
But there was that kiss. That one good moment when they hit Richmond. What’d happened in his apartment, the night Cade said yes.
They weren’t over. He wasn’t the only one thinking that now, was he? Or had he ever been?
And you know what? Maybe it’s smart, maybe it’s not, but it’s about damn time I got busy doing something about that again.
Starting now.
Chapter Seven
Tuck was pleased to see Cade, Hannah, and Megan deep into chatter when he carried drink refills for all outside on the veranda. Suzie-Q had draped herself contentedly just below the broad steps and fallen asleep in the grass, paddling her legs and dreaming of chasing cars. Did his heart good to see these things. He could almost even overlook Thomas’s presence.
Better still for Tuck to see Cade nod at him as he joined them, no prompting needed.
“We now join your regularly scheduled conversation already in progress?” Tuck leaned over Cade to pass the glasses of iced tea. “What did I miss?”
“Nosy,” Megan said. She and Cade fingered cubes of ice out of their drinks at the same time and crunched down.
Tuck shared a look with Hannah, filled with mirth between the two of them.
“You look better,” she remarked out loud. “If dunking your head in the sink is that much of a pause that refreshes, I should try.”
“Eh,” Tuck said, neither confirming nor denying. The fresh start did more for him, but he’d keep that to himself. He sat slightly behind and to Cade’s side. “Come on. You know I’m a buttinski. Fill a guy in.”
Megan pretended to groan like a woman in serious pain drawing on her last scraps of stoicism. “We’re talking wedding crap. What do you think?”
“I think you’re living proof that romance is dead,” Hannah
“You’re good with the room?” Tuck asked, deliberately putting it out there. And yeah, he knew it was cruel this time. Regret sank her teeth in right away, and for more than one reason.
Hannah glanced from Tuck to Cade and back again, frowning the smallest bit. “Is everything all right?”
“What, with us?” Tuck spoke too loudly, and he knew it.
Cade stepped in to play salvage worker. “We’re just tired, Hannah. And hungry.”
Tuck butted in, trying to help, more relieved than he could say at Cade’s taking the initiative. “Go snatch some dinner for us before it’s all gone. And before I turn you over my knee for being a brat. Brat.”
“You never would.” Hannah poked him, then kissed him on the cheek. She reached over his to squeeze Cade’s shoulder. “I’ll do my best, but you’d still better hurry.”
“Be there in a sec.” Tuck’s stomach knotted and unknotted and knotted again as he watched her leave. Maybe she hadn’t noticed. He and Cade had bitched at each other back in the day. Every now and then. Rarely.
Still. They’d always made it up. She wouldn’t think the worst now. It was believe that or give up, and Tuck? No way he’d quit after coming this far.
Only…
As soon as Tuck judged Hannah to be out of earshot, he stopped three steps above Cade, watching him carefully. “I’m going to ask you something, and you need to answer me.”
Cade stood as still as a statue, but that didn’t reach all the way to his eyes. He inclined his head.
“One bed,” Tuck said. “Was it just for the girls, saying so, or are you really okay with that?”
Cade didn’t say anything, not at first. But he touched his lips, still slightly red from being kissed. He swallowed hard enough for Tuck to see the jerk of his throat. “I don’t know.”
He meant it. Even if he did turn fast and thump down the stairs in too much of a hurry for the narrow treads, that’d been the truth.
Tuck stayed behind, his head busy. That, what’d just happened, that was…enough to make a man wonder.
Enough to make him hope.
He’d started to doubt, hadn’t he? Thomas throwing him for a loop sure hadn’t helped.
But there was that kiss. That one good moment when they hit Richmond. What’d happened in his apartment, the night Cade said yes.
They weren’t over. He wasn’t the only one thinking that now, was he? Or had he ever been?
And you know what? Maybe it’s smart, maybe it’s not, but it’s about damn time I got busy doing something about that again.
Starting now.
Chapter Seven
Tuck was pleased to see Cade, Hannah, and Megan deep into chatter when he carried drink refills for all outside on the veranda. Suzie-Q had draped herself contentedly just below the broad steps and fallen asleep in the grass, paddling her legs and dreaming of chasing cars. Did his heart good to see these things. He could almost even overlook Thomas’s presence.
Better still for Tuck to see Cade nod at him as he joined them, no prompting needed.
“We now join your regularly scheduled conversation already in progress?” Tuck leaned over Cade to pass the glasses of iced tea. “What did I miss?”
“Nosy,” Megan said. She and Cade fingered cubes of ice out of their drinks at the same time and crunched down.
Tuck shared a look with Hannah, filled with mirth between the two of them.
“You look better,” she remarked out loud. “If dunking your head in the sink is that much of a pause that refreshes, I should try.”
“Eh,” Tuck said, neither confirming nor denying. The fresh start did more for him, but he’d keep that to himself. He sat slightly behind and to Cade’s side. “Come on. You know I’m a buttinski. Fill a guy in.”
Megan pretended to groan like a woman in serious pain drawing on her last scraps of stoicism. “We’re talking wedding crap. What do you think?”
“I think you’re living proof that romance is dead,” Hannah
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